Karastan is a name that has become a by-word for Oriental style rugs

Early in the 1920's, Marshall Field and Company, the originator of Karastan rugs, recognized the popularity of hand knotted Oriental style carpets and consigned a carpet mill in North Carolina to make reproductions of Oriental rugs. The Karastan Axminster loom was the first loom to make a rug constructed like hand woven original Oriental rugs. Karastan rugs from this loom showed the pile knots on the back of the rugs just as the hand knotted ones had been made. The mill developed a way of producing non-fading colors and a special lustre wash that made the rugs look like originals. This was the first Karastan.

The creation of the first Karastan rug was so startling, and the manufacturing process was so advanced, that the trade press called them "mystery rugs". However, during the 1933 World's Fair, Karastan put one of their rugs on display and let thousands of people walk on it. This was their first Kirman and over five million people walked on it over a two year period. When the Fair was over, half the rug was cleaned to look like new, leaving the other half with dirt and grime. This fantastic demonstration of the miracle of Karastan rugs caused the public to call it the "wonder rug".

For the 1939 World's Fair, Karastan did it again. They introduced another pattern of the Kirman rug, going through the same process of having millions of people trod over it. The success of this rug was immediate and it is still the bestselling of all Karastan rugs today.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about the legacy of Karastan rugs. As you can see Karastan has been the "buy-word" for Oriental rugs for over 75 years.

A name you can trust, Karastan rugs are a delight to decorators as well as homeowners and businesses. Consider one for yourself.

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Shirley Sims is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-area-rugs.net. An informational source, buyers guide and review of the best styles from leading manufacturers including karastan rugs.